Transporting rocket-propelled missiles



Dec. 25, 1962 P. NAuscHUTz ETAL 3,070,016

` TRANsPoRTING RocKET-PRoPELLEn MrssILEs Filed Jan. 18, 1960 Edl@ Patented ec. 25, 1952 TRASPORTNG RtJiE'I-FRPELLED li-HSSLES Peter Nausciitz, Munich, Erich Pianitzer, Nurtingen,

and Werner Schindler, Ottobrunn, Germany, assignors to Bolkow-Entwickiungen KG, Uttobrunn, near Munich, Germany Filed Jan. f8, 1960, Ser. No. 3,051 Claims priority, application Germany Jan. 19, 1%59 1 Claim. (Cl. 102-50) The present invention relates to improvements in rocxet-propelled missiles.

'the cell of a rocxet-propelled missile usually consists of a fuselage at whose rear end there are arranged control surfaces or rudder elements which have a very large area, particularly in aerodynamically stabilized missiles. 'lnese missiles are unhandy and bulxy, so that great difculties are encountered in their transportation, particularly in the case of smaller missiles which have to be carried by hand.

The circumference of the fuselage of the missile can not be spanned by a persons hand and there is no suitable way of gripping the rudder-or control elements or surfaces. These elements cannot be clamped and carried under the arm of a person because of the bulky rudder surfaces, so that the transportation of the missile requires both hands of a person.

Usually the person carrying the missile also has to carry the missile guiding device and the auxiliary device necessary for starting the missile. In addition, there must be considered a notable weight of the missile when firing same. Since the terrain is usually quite rough, the person carrying the bulky missile and associated devices is subject to great physical strain and has practically no hand free to balance himself or to bend branches out of his path.

it is one of the most important objects of the present invention to provide means avoiding and completely eliminating these and other disadvantages.

According to a preferred mode of practising the invention, a handle is secured on the side of the fuselage which faces upwardly in the starting position of the missile, approximately in its center of gravity.

ln this manner the missile can be carried by one hand only in a simple and less tiring way.

The handle provided on the fuselage of the missile extends in a streamlined fashion to limit to a minimum air resistance or drag encountered during the Hight of the missile.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the handle grip means may be Y-shaped and arranged with the arms thereof extending parallel to the axis of the fuselage. The arm of the handle, which can be spanned by one hand, has a handy grip shell formed of plastic. The part of the handle which is secured to the fuselage has two arms so that it can encompass any super.- structure provided on tne fuselage, in an aerodynamically favorable manner.

lt is another object of the present invention to provide means tending to stabilize the missile during the flight thereof, thereby to increase the accuracy of the missile in homing on a target.

lt is an additional object of the invention to provide means readily adapted to grip the missile for carrying purposes as well as to simultaneously employ the handle grip for mounting instruments of various types on the missile.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide means facilitating the coupling or lashing together of a plurality of missiles by employing the special handle grips thereof.

lt is a still further object of the invention to provide means effective to compensate for any manufacturing inaccuracies or tolerances embodied in the missile.

These and other objects of the invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing showing a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing which illustrates the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of a missile provided with a handle pursuant to the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the missile illustrated in PIG. 1.

Referring now to the attached drawing in greater detail, there is disclosed in FIG. 1, a missile 10 comprising the control faces or rudder elements 1 xedly secured to a fuselage 2 shown in starting or pre-firing position and extending diametrically radially outwardly therefrom. On the side of the fuselage 2 which faces upwardly, substantially in the center of gravity of the missile, there is secured substantially Y-shaped handle means 3. In order to minimize air resistance or drag, the handle means is streamlined.

More specifically, the handle means 3 comprises a hand grip or shell plate 4, formed of a suitable plastic or plastic composition and shaped at the underside thereof as at 4u, to facilitate gripping same by the lingers of the hand of an operator. A pair of U-shaped arms or leg portions Se and 5b, having upper run parts and turned downwardly upon themselves at their forward ends and extend downwardly from the hand grip in diverging lateral relation and terminate in free end lower run parts 'Sc and 5d, respectively, which are directed toward the rear end 2a of the fuselage.

The lower run parts 5c and 5d of the leg portions are in parallel relation with the longitudinal axis of the fuselage and are in abutting relation therewith and lie respectively in longitudinal alignment with respective fixed rudder surfaces. The free end run parts are secured to the fuselage as by the screws 6.

It lwill be apparent that the missile itl can be readily carried by grasping the hand grip 4 with only one hand. As best seen in FIG. 2, the grip 4, on its upper side, forms a relatively flat surface or plate 4b which is readily adapted to mount, if desired, different types of instruments associated with the ight of the missile, for example, a radio receiver or transmitter, a camera, indicators of various types, or the like.

ln addition, the hand grips l provide ready means whereby a plurality of missiles can also be coupled or lashed together by merely using suitable means to tie the grips together. This will facilitate the transportation and/ or storage of a plurality of missiles.

The handle means 3 is disposed in the center of gravity of the missile and has a flat surface 4b.

Moreover, if the screw apertures in the end portions 5c and 5d are elongated, the screws can be partially re.- tracted to facilitate the adjustment of the handle means 3 longitudinally of the longitudinal axis of the fuselage. This adjustment can be used to shift the center of gravity of the missile, whereby to compensate for any inaccuracies in the manufacture thereof, so as to insure a true and correct iiight trajectory thereof.

It can thus be seen that there has been provided according to the invention a missile comprising an elongated fuselage, rudder means provided adjacent one end of said fuselage, and streamlined means provided on the upper surface of said fuselage forwardly of said rudder means, said streamlined means being disposed substantially at the center of gravity of said missile and com- 3 prising U-shaped means having a part spaced upwardly from said upper surface, said part being formed as a hand grip.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit anjd scope of the present invention and it is intended that such obvious changes and modifications be embraced by the annexed claim.

Having thus described the invention, -what is claimed as newand desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A portable rocket-propelled missile having a longitudinally-extending fuselage and a plurality of rudder surfaces xedly secured to the rear of the fuselage'at singularly-spaced locations thereon and extending diametrically radially outwardly therefrom and a Y-shaped handle member by which the missile may be carried running longitudinally ofthe fuselage forwardly of the forward ends of the rudder surfaces and overlying the center of gravity of the missile, said handle member having one leg portion lying forwardly in longitudinal align vment with one fof the rudder surfaces and directly seycured to die exterior of the fuselage, a second leg portion lying forwardly in alignment with another of said rudder surfaces and d irectly secured to the exterior of the fuselage, saidleg portions being respectively"turned downwardly and upon themselves at their forward ends thereby providing upper and lower parts to permit the, fingers of the hand to be extended thereunder and hand grip means joiningtogether the upper run parts in amlongitudinal planerlying centrally betweenthe rudder lsurfaces with Vwhich the leg portions are aligned and throughnthe longitudinal axis of the fuselage, and means adjustably securing said handle to said fuselage to adapt thehandle to the center of gravity of the missile.

References Cited in the le of this patent vUNITEDSTATES PATENTS 

